Full Moon At Midnight
by WhisperElmwood
Summary: The full moon does strange things to different people. It starts with Kiba seeing something he shouldn't, in the Aburame compound, at midnight, during the full moon. ShinoKiba
1. Chapter 1

**Full Moon At Midnight**

To Kiba, the night was like any other. Fresh, cool, full of scent not noticed during the busy bustle of the day.

He and Akamaru were taking a late night run, working off the tension of the mission they had just returned from. As always, it had been a bad one.

The sky was clear, stars bright, the moon heavy and low. Looking up at the glowing orb, he had the strange urge to howl at it - in greeting, or just for the hell of it. He shook his head, to remove the silly thought, and continued.

He whooped and hollered as his body pounded forward, leaping from branch to branch, in almost silent motion, unconsciously taking him closer to the Aburame Compound. Akamaru raced along the packed earth below him, adding his own barks and yips to the cacophony.

Birds flew in every direction, woken by the noise and the sense of predator. Mammals of all types burrowed deeper, clung to one another in hollow trees, or simply moved out of range of the rambunctious duo.

And then he heard it. The unmistakable thrumming of Kikaichi.

Kiba stopped short, suddenly realizing precisely where he was. Sensing his masters confusion, Akamaru padded back sitting directly below him, head cocked to one side questioningly, tongue lolling.

Curious - having never been this close to the Aburame home after dark - Kiba lifted his nose and scented the air. Surprisingly, he caught a lung full of Shino.

He snorted, shaking his head - much like Akamaru after smelling something unexpected - he cocked an eyebrow and with a hint of mischief glowing in his eyes, set off in the direction of his team mate. Wuffing quietly to himself, Akamaru followed.

The humming of the Kikaichi grew stronger, the closer he to Shino he got. After only a few leaps through the trees, he could feel the sound in his very bones. It set his teeth on edge. Akamaru voiced his own displeasure in a low, rumbling growl, that only an Inuzuka could hear.

A few leaps farther, and Kiba was hit by the scent of blood - human as well as animal. Taking a deep breath as he leapt, he recognized the scent - Shino! It was so rare that he ever caught that particular scent - Shino was a long distance fighter, rarely getting into a battle that needed his physical presence in the thick of things - that the very idea of Shino having shed blood, spurred him on faster.

When he broke through foliage at the very edge of a clearing, he skidded to a halt, hooking his claws into thick bark and yanking great clumps of moss into his clenched fists.

Through a heaving mass of Kikaichi - so many of the tiny bodies that he almost couldn't see Shino at all - he could just make out his team mate standing naked on the body of a giant serpent.

He sniffed. No. Not body - the serpent was still alive, but just barely.

He looked down at Akamaru and motioned him back. The great dog gave him a hurt look, but acquiesced and dropped back, hiding in the deeper foliage.

Satisfied, and intrigued despite his better judgement, Kiba crept forward on the branch, moving further into the clearing, closer to the swarm. From this new vantage point, he watched Shino silently.

As he watched, the humming of the Kikaichi crested a new wave, so deep and heavy that he felt his body vibrate with the sound. He clenched his teeth and covered his ears. How the hell could Shino live with this noise?

Slowly, the skittering mass thinned and he had his first clear view of the Aburame.

Not only was Shino naked - standing on the head of the serpent, his back to Kiba, arms spread wide, face turned upwards to the moon - but he was glowing!

Every one of Shino's chakra lines glowed with the light of the moon.

Looking closely, Kiba could see it wasn't just the chakra lines - there were traces of some pattern within the glow, swirls and runes, symbols and characters, all scrawled over Shino's skin - each of them glowing as much as his chakra lines.

Kiba blinked. The humming had suddenly ceased. As he watched, the cloud of Kikaichi decended upon the great serpent. For a moment there was nothing. Then the serpent jerked, Shino clinging to it's head, forcing it to still.

As he watched, the serpents death throes became weaker and weaker, until, finally, it lay still and Shino regained his feet, standing once again with his arms raised and face to the moon. A moment later, the humming returned.

The swarm rose from the body and once again circled the young man in their midst. In horrified facination, Kiba couldn't turn away when they closed in on his team mate a moment later. He was witnessing their return to the nest inside Shino. It looked painful.

Shino only grunted and twitched as the thousands of tiny bodies burrowed into him - but Kiba had known him long enough to read the signs of extreme discomfort and even pain. He certainly wasn't surprised. He winced in sympathy.

When it was over, Shino slumped to his knees and looked ready to pass out, the glow emanating from his body fading to nothing. Knowing he was trespassing enough already, Kiba stayed put.

After a few minutes, Shino climbed to his feet and turned.

And there's what Kiba was waiting for - full frontal, naked Shino. He would've whistled if he hadn't known Shino would hear. As it was, he knew he should leave, and very soon. He had seen enough now that he could keep himself busy for the next week!

He began to back up along the branch.

"Kiba..."

He stopped, wincing, one hand still in the air, about to grasp the branch.

"Come here, Kiba..."

Oh, _man_. He turned back and gave Shino a weak smile, "Who, me?"

Shino simply looked at him - and that was when Kiba noticed his eyes were pure white. Whether they were always like that, or whether it was because of the ritual he had just witnessed, he didn't know. Whatever it was, those eyes were scary.

He leapt down, landing on all fours barely six feet from his team mate. He stood and grinned sheepishly. This close, he could see the thousands of tiny scars covering Shino's body. That and he could also see the way the moonlight shone on his nicely defined muscles.

He tried not to look. Shino wasn't his to look at, would never be his to look at, despite how much he wanted him.

"How much did you see?" Shino's voice was low, quiet - but intent.

Kiba shifted his gaze to the serpent, "...I came in just before the Kikaichi..." He nodded at the massive corpse, lying barely fifteen feet away.

Shino stepped forward and reached out, taking Kiba by surprise as smooth finger tips pressed against his cheek. No callouses or scars for a long ranger.

Kiba's eyes closed involuntarily. Was Shino...?

Before he knew what was happening, Shino had crushed their lips together and was kissing him forcefully. Kiba's eyes flew open, meeting white orbs filled with intense heat and more than a hint of lust. He didn't care if Shino was in his right mind or not, this was what he wanted - had wanted for bloody ages - so he gave in and kissed back, passionately.

They broke for air, and Kiba found himself forced to the ground, Shino's wieght holding him against the packed earth. Their lips met again and Kiba moaned. After amoment, hands tugged at his jacket, pulling at the zipper, finally undoing it and roughly tearing it off. Shino went for his trousers next and he had to lift his hips to allow them to be pulled down and off, sandals and boxors following mere moments later.

It seemed Shino didn't care about the mesh shirt, his hands roamed everywhere despite it. Kiba made a noise of protest when the kiss ended, but grunted in pleasure/pain a moment later when teeth nipped at his throat, collar bone and then found a nipple poking through the mesh. He wound his fingers through Shino's surprisingly soft mop of hair as his nipple was branded.

It took a moment for his brain to work, but he realised he could feel Shino's straining erection against his thigh. Groaning at the continued attack on his chest, he reached down and brushed the hardenned flesh. Shino growled and grabbed both his wrists, holding them crosswise above his head with one hand.

Kiba blinked. Oh-kay - a growling Shino was hotter than any fantasy he'd ever entertained - but it looked like his team mate didn't want stimulating. His thought processes stalled when Shino's lips returned to his and his free hand grabbed his cock. His hips jerked in response, causing another growl. Shino - still holding his wrists - moved away again, leaving Kiba panting as his member was furiously pumped, soft lips lapping at his neck and shoulders.

He moaned, feeling the beginnings of orgasm stirring in his abdomen. "Shino...I'm-!"

Shino's hand stopped moving and simply gripped at the base. Kiba shuddered, looking up at the pale youth. Shino blinked down at him, his eyes still white, then removed his hand and sucked two fingers into his mouth, giving them a lavish coating of saliva.

"This may hurt." A statement, in very quiet but forceful tones.

Stunned, Kiba nodded, still panting, his whole body aching for release. Shino shifted, kneeling between Kiba's legs, using his own knees to further spread his thighs. Eyes still on his, Kiba daren't blink as Shino touched coated finger tips to his entrance.

He squirmed and moaned, panting deeper, squeezing his eyes closed as Shino forced the fingers in, deeper and deeper, until he hit knuckle and stopped. For a moment everything was still. Kiba could feel his pulse beating against the fingers inside him. When the strange sensation of intrusion faded, he reopened his eyes and found Shino watching him intently.

Apparently, that was what the Aburame had been waiting for, for he instantly moved his fingers, flexing them sideways and thrusting at the same time. Kiba cried out in shock, but was quieted by the lips crushing against his own again.

That gave him something else to think about as Shino stretched him, adding another finger as he did.

It felt like an age passed, but he wan't sure, his entire focus was on soft lips, hot tongue warring for control with his own and the weeping erection he could feel pressed against his flushed skin. That was until Shino hit a rather interestin spot inside him. He jerked, eyes rolling back in pleasure.

Shino pulled back slightly and pressed against the spot again. This time Kiba nearly yelled, but his mouth was caught again just in time. Pulling away again, Shino removed his fingers.

"Fuh-fuck, Shino," he nearly sighed.

Shino nodded and brought his now dry hand to his mouth, spitting into his palm, "This_will _hurt, Kiba." But Kiba didn't care, his attention had focussed on Shino's hand, liberally coating his own erection in spit.

He did care, however, when Shino positioned himself and he felt the blunt, velvety stiff member press against his entrance.

"Guh!" Shino looked up at him, but didn't stop. Two fingers pressed his glutes apart for better access, the other three guided him in.

And it did hurt. Kiba bit his lip to keep from crying out as the other youth pushed in, his muscles stretching, protestingly, around the head. He thumped the back of his head on the ground, almost knocking himself out as he flung his head back in a wordless cry of pain.

Still, Shino didn't stop. He pushed deeper and Kiba's toes curled, the stinging ache in his butt doing nothing for him. He felt uncomfortably full and he couldn't get his breathing to calm - or his inner muscles to stop throbbing. He panted for air and realised Shino had stopped, hips flush against his ass. After a moment he opened his eyes and looked at his team mate.

Shino's head was down, hair hiding his face, his chest was heaving and his free hand was now gripping the earth so tightly he'd dug a shallow groove.

They stayed like that for a few moments, until Shino regained his breath and Kiba's insides stopped feeling like they were being scoured by fire. White eyes met black and Shino noticed Kiba had gone limp. Panting a litte, he wiped his lightly dirt covered hand on his own thigh and gripped Kiba's limp cock. As he did, he moved his hips, pulling out gently.

That felt a little better than he thought it would.

"That's...that's good..." He whispered.

Shino groaned and nodded, tugging at the slowly hardenning member in his hand. When Kiba felt he simply couldn't take any more, Shino thrust back into him. Before he could yell out in surprised pleasure/pain Shino was kissing him.

And then it didn't stop. Shino began to pull and thrust in a mixed rhythm, punctuated only with their gasps as they occaisionally came up for air. Kiba had never felt anything like it, the push-pull of his inner muscles as Shino thrust. He was sure he could feel the roughness of Shino's foreskin, being tugged inside him.

After a few minutes, he began to push back, and that was when Shino seemed to just let go. The hand holding his wrists disappeared, along with the one on his erection, and he found his hips gripped bruisingly tightly as Shino reared back with a grunt. Kiba was lifted slightly as Shino began to thrust harder, deeper, grunting with each inward thrust.

Kiba bit into his own wrist - this new position meant that intersting spot inside him was being irregularly thrust against. He gripped Shino's knee as he was unceremoniously thrust into and he closed his eyes, arching his back, feeling the little bumps against his stomach as his erection bounced with each thrust.

It felt far too good, the pleasure/pain mixing deep inside him. Shino's rock hard cock pounding him, literally, into the ground. Tight hands gripping his hips, hard enough to leave bruises and nail marks. Firm thigh muscles bunched beneath his own, flexing with each push-pull.

It was sensory overload, when his nose registered the musky smell of sweat and sex. He couldn't handle it much longer.

The thrusts became more eratic, longer, deeper. Kiba reached down and gripped his own erection. There was a growl and his hand was pulled back, replaced with one of Shino's. He hadn't realised Shino was watching him. He openned his eyes and met white. Shino tugged at him in time with the erratic thrusts and not knowing what else to do with his hands, he gripped Shino's thighs, throwing his head back, feeling the muscles flex under his palms.

It didn't take much longer. Shino's thrusting became more and more erratic, still hitting the spot inside him more often than not. Kiba came first, screaming into his wrist as Shino continued the strokes, the tight, smooth hand adding to the orgasm. As he came, Kiba felt his inner muscles spasm around the cock buried inside him.

Shino growled again, his laboured breathing adding to the sound and thrust again, again, and again, until Kiba felt the youth tighten and release. As he came, shino continued to thrust shallowly into him, until he was spent.

When it was over, Shino simply lookedd down at him, his limp member still buried in Kiba's ass. They panted in unison, for what felt like forever, then shino shifted, grunted and removed himself. Kiba winced, but stayed silent.

For a moment, nobody moved or spoke. Then Shino blinked and grabbed Kiba's jacket. He dropped it over Kiba's chest and then settled down on the ground next to him. The silence stretched on, until Akamaru whined from the nearby tree-roots. Kiba glanced at Shino. He nodded and Kiba motioned Akamaru over.

The great dog settled down near them, allowing the two youths to use him as a pillow.

About an hour later, Shino whispered, "I have some explaining to do."

Kiba grunted, "In the moring."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Full Moon At Midnight P2**

Kiba awoke to the sounds of the forest - birds calling to one another, rodents rustling, the wind in the leaves - damp with dew and shivering slightly despite being snuggled up to Akamaru.

He shifted and stretched.

"FUCK!"

His back! His ass! Even his knees were killing him!

But his butt was the worst - it felt like something had torn inside.

Akamaru wuffed at him in apparent sympathy and then he noticed.

Shino was gone.

He sat up and looked around - his clothes had been gathered and folded neatly into a small pile a few feet away. Except his jacket, that was still draped over his hips.

He harrumphed and crossed his arms, a petulant look settling onto his face.

"Well, fuck."

---

Kiba sincerely hoped the Hokage would rot in Yomi for all eternity. He really did.

For three days he had looked for, and been unable to find, Shino Aburame. Oh, he knew precisely where he was, Kiba's nose could pick up the scent of a gnats fart three miles away - the other youth was just hiding on his family's estate, somewhere Kiba couldn't go without either written permission, a personal invitation or in a dire emergency.

He was pretty certain that being fucked by the most promising Aburame son in quite a few generations, didn't exactly count as a 'personal invitation' - so he had been at a loss for what to do.

And then, on the fourth day, Kiba was sent on a bloody mission, thus being taken further and further away from the explanation (and the body) that he so craved.

So now, here he was, five days after the best fuck of his entire life (ok, the only fuck of his entire life) - with the guy he thought he loved, no less - sitting in a tree, sandwiched between Izumo and Kotetsu, being rained on.

How was that fair?

He really wished the Hokage would rot in Yomi.

He also suspected that his superiors had figured him out and were laughing at him behind his back. That just made him paranoid. Of course, it didn't help that Akamaru had been left behind to guard their camp. Kiba always felt a little naked whenever he was separated from Akamaru.

He tugged the hood of his Konoha issue cloak farther over his head, further blocking the rain and the imagined stares of his two superiors. He pulled a face at the ground far below them, watching the ripples in the puddles, distorting the reflected forest.

They waited another half an hour before Kotetsu signalled they should leave. It looked like their mark wouldn't be showing up today.

Great. A whole day wasted, sitting in the rain, eating nothing but ration bars (and the occasional stashed dog-biscuit, he didn't care what Hinata said, they tasted great) waiting around, for nothing.

Kiba always hated these types of missions. The Intel was vague - at best - with only a time and place certain - the date was rough. There were another four possible days that their mark could appear. Already, Kiba was loosing patience - something that wasn't his strong suit anyway.

Hopefully, the guy would turn up tomorrow and they could go home.

And then he could go find Shino.

And then he could pin the elusive bastard down.

His brain stalled over the next thought, not entirely sure where to go with it.

Breaking into the small clearing where they were holding camp, he dropped from the high branches to all fours, catching up to Kotetsu. Izumo dropped down behind him a moment later.

Akamaru came bounding out of the shallow cave they were using for shelter, wuffing quietly in greeting, tail wagging furiously. Kiba grinned as the great furry body connected with his own, knocking him to the ground. He pushed his fingers through the long mane-like fur behind Akamaru's ears, scritching as he hugged him.

"Missed you too, 'Maru," he whispered into his dogs neck.

"Did we have any visitors?"

Kotetsu aimed the question at Kiba, but was really asking Akamaru. Kiba raised an eyebrow at his dog. Akamaru snorted and shook his head.

"No, sir, nothing but the local wildlife."

Kotetsu nodded and they all relaxed a little, dropping bags and heavy cloaks. It was too wet to start a fire; so instead, they huddled together in the shallow cave - Akamaru serving as cushion and heater for all three of them.

As darkness fell, Kiba couldn't help but let his mind wonder back to the night with Shino.

He drifted off to the soft pattering of rain and Akamaru's steady breathing, a gentle smile on his lips.

----

He woke to sniggering.

Startled by the sound, body reacting on automatic, Kiba launched himself from a prone start and pinned his unseen assailant to the ground, claws digging into pliant flesh as he growled, low in his throat.

"Whoa, Kiba!"

He blinked and realised he had just pinned Izumo - he'd drawn blood from a superior!

"Shit! Sorry Izumo!" He jumped back, claws retreating, mental hackles lowering.

Izumo gave him a rueful look as Kotetsu helped him to his feet, "You got good reflexes, kid, that's for certain."

Kiba detected a hint of respect in the mans tone, but wasn't sure what to say - one does not normally attack one's superior, even if one is asleep and doesn't really know what one is doing.

As they went about their business - washing, cooking, tidying - Kiba watched the two older men like a hawk. He remembered the sniggering with a frown. He told himself he was imagining things, but he swore the two of them were laughing at him.

Not only that, but he could tell - through their mingled scents, as well as their body language and behavioural cues - that they were obviously a couple. You'd have to be an Inuzuka to notice though, Kiba's clan were notoriously good at reading body language (which, incidentally, was the reason Kiba had never been as exasperated by Shino's oddness as Hinata or Kurenai.)

As it was, Kotetsu and Izumo basically performed a dance around the campsite, so attuned to one another were they that they moved without recourse to higher brain activity. Kiba was fascinated by the sight.

He sat back, sharing his bacon with Akamaru, wondering if he and Shino would ever get to this stage. Eventually they noticed him watching them and (with Izumo blushing slightly) broke camp. All four of them - Akamaru was joining them this morning, as they were switching campsites - set off for the familiar meeting place.

Much to Kiba's eternal satisfaction, it wasn't raining this time. Ahead of him, his superiors were holding a whispered conversation that set his paranoia off again. By all rights, they could simply be discussing the day's plans, but he couldn't shake the belief that they were talking about him.

He had a vague recollection of the dream just before Izumo woke him up. It had been hot, steamy even, with naked flesh and writhing bodies. He had the horrible feeling he'd muttered Shino's name in his sleep.

Kami, he hoped not. That would give his superiors fuel for days, weeks. And he still had at least a week left with them, if today went as badly as yesterday. Alone. It was going to be frustrating, to say the least.

Crap. Crap crap crap.

----

It did go badly. Halfway through the day it started raining again.

Cold, wet and miserable, Kiba shifted into a more comfortable position against the rough bark of his tree. Izumo and Kotetsu were in a tree of their own across the track, Akamaru was settled in the crook between trunk and branch off to his right, dozing lightly, completely ignoring the rain.

It really looked like it was settling in to continue for the next few days. Big drops kept trickling through the leaves above him, each and every one of them apparently making their way directly to his head.

The world hated him. The very universe hated him.

But that was just fine with Kiba, because he had decided to hate it right back.

Three drops hit his head in a short, sharp tak-tak-tak against the canvas of his hood. He hunched further into himself, fighting back the growl, glaring moodily at the track below him.

At this rate, they wouldn't be able to find any dry places to sleep. They'd probably have to set up some lean-to's and hope for the best. He missed warm food. He missed being dry. He missed Hinata's stuttering. He especially missed Shino's bundled visage. He really hated Autumn missions. Really, really hated them.

Glare still trained on the empty track, Kiba began to compile a mental list of things he hated about Autumn missions.

They're cold, wet, muddy, windy, brown, and full of rotten-leaf smell. They currently lacked certain ex-team mates. There were mushrooms everywhere, and stupid berries that his mom made him go collect for her. Akamaru always got wet and then smelled of wet-dog for hours. You couldn't start fires to cook decent food.

He chewed absently on a thumb. At least in winter you could have snow-fights. He relished the thought of rubbing snow into Naruto's hair. That always made him laugh. Well, until Sasuke got in on it, and then he ended up in the nearest snow-drift. Upside-down. With snake-bites.

That bloke needed a holiday.

He caught movement far down the track and signalled Kotetsu.

His heart raced, pushing adrenaline into his body. But it turned out to be only a warthog.

He really hated Autumn missions.

----

"So, who's Shino?"

Kiba nearly choked on his dinner.

Kotetsu was grinning at him.

They had ended up having to set up lean-to's. Made of canvas stretched between two trees and weighted down with rocks, they kept out the rain, but not much of the wind. Kiba and Kotetsu were currently huddled under one together for warmth, Akamaru was across the small clearing under one of his own, Izumo was on watch.

Kiba coughed, clearing his throat. "No one – just an old team mate, from my Genin days." He swallowed a mouthful of tea.

"Sounded like he was a bit more than that, last night."

Kiba nearly choked again. Akamaru whined at him, letting him know he was being an idiot. So he really had spoken in his sleep. Crap.

He didn't know how to respond, so he didn't.

Eventually, he slept again.

----

Finally, the mark showed up.

They stayed in their respective tree's until Kotetsu was certain of the mark, watching the man and his entourage warily walk down the track.

There were eleven men, including their mark, of varying sizes and chakra strength. Kiba sniffed. Varying idea's of what counted as hygiene as well, from the smell. None of them were in the Bingo Book, so it wasn't expected to be a hard job.

Watching them carefully, Kiba counted a half-dozen swords, carried in varying degrees of expertise, a pair of axes and three staffs. Five of the men were wearing marked hitai-ites, all from Mist. Brilliant. Even though they weren't in the Bingo Book, simply being from Mist meant they were going to be trouble.

Kotetsu signalled and the fun began.

The mission was to capture their mark and take him back to Konoha for questioning. He didn't know what about and he didn't particularly care, but from the scroll, it had looked urgent.

Izumo attacked first, trapping as many as he could with his Suiton-Mizuame Nabara. The Mist ninja dodged it, yelling in surprise, weapons drawn. But the mark and the other body-guards were not so lucky.

Kotetsu summoned his weapon, dropping the scroll as he ran, Kiba dropped from his tree right on top of a Mist ninja. With a growl, he slit the ninja's throat with his claws, before the man even registered the attack.

Loosing sight of Kotetsu, Kiba face two more ninja, Akamaru at his side. He had a feeling they were going to taunt him. He was right. The taller of the pair brandished his sword (Kiba noted how inexpertly he did that, compared to Sasuke or Sai) "Here, doggy!"

Not terribly inventive, but he'd heard worse.

Akamaru growled, Kiba grinned, showing off sharp canines, and they launched. In perfect synchronicity, the two ninja's went down, one throat torn out by Akamaru's teeth, the other impaled on his own sword.

A damp mist suddenly spread over the forest, snaking through the trees, turning everything to formless shadows. There was a whistle from Kotetsu – the mark was captured. Now it was only the clean-up.

The problem with a mist like this was that only the Mist ninja new how to fight in it – the remaining body-guards were useless. Kiba didn't worry though – it didn't bother him in the slightest.

He closed his eyes and relied on his sense of smell.

Six were already dead, the mark taken, that left four, three of them Mist ninjas. Taking a deep breath, he sorted through the scents. Kotetsu and Izumo – knowing his talents – had retreated, taking the mark with them. But they weren't so far away they couldn't help if he needed it. Akamaru was slinking through the mists off to his right.

Six corpses were strewn in haphazard fashion all over the area. Sniffing again, Kiba noted the three remaining Ninja were in the tree's above and around him.

The lone body-guard was ahead of him, stinking of fear and blood. He headed for him first. It was the axe-wielding man. He was big, bulky, bald. Slow. Far too slow to best Kiba. The man heard him coming and swung around, murder in his eyes.

The axes swept over him, one missing him by mere inches. They swung back up, he was using them like clubs and not very well, at that. In mere seconds, Kiba broke through the body-guards defences and broke his neck.

This was boring. He hadn't even had to use any of his real skills. Taking a deep breath, he realised the ninja's were on the move. He whistled and Kotetsu appeared, "They're running. Three Mist ninja, heading north. Want I should go get them?"

Kotetsu nodded, "We can't leave witnesses on this one. Eliminate them while we get the mark back to camp."

Kiba nodded sharply, barked for Akamaru and they set off into the trees.

----

It didn't take long to catch up to the men. There was no way they could hide from him.

Sliding a kunai from his bag, he palmed it, tracking the slowest of the three. Akamaru wuffed at his side and he looked – shit!

He ducked just in time – the water clone nicked his cheek, cutting through the tribal tattoo. Now that was just plain annoying. He left the clone to Akamaru and continued after the ninja.

It was just his luck that it had been raining for days on end. There was plenty of water around for the Mist ninja to play with. As he ran, he formed seals, muttering 'Shikyaku No Jutsu' under his breath, moments later; he was tearing through the forest on all fours.

It was so much easier this way. His claws lengthened, his sense of smell sharpened exponentially, his strength and agility went through the roof.

He caught up to the ninja in no time – the rear never saw him coming. It was a simple matter of using one of his simplest Tsūgatechniques, launching himself at the man, spinning, growling, claws and teeth and kunai. The man went down almost immediately, a mess of blood and flesh, nothing but a shocked scream announcing his death.

The other two caught on quickly and suddenly the forest was crawling with a deep, thick mist again. He paused to take a deep breath. He could barely scent them – what was going on?

Suddenly the ground shook and he looked around – the two men were slightly to his right and ahead of him – standing close together, forming seals. The ground under his hands and feet cracked and began issuing streams of water upwards.

He growled as the puddles began streaming into the air, all the water in the area collecting into one large suspended globe. He had to end this now. It looked like they needed to pool their chakra to pull this move off, so he really only needed to kill one of them. Good.

"Akamaru!"

The great dog barked and was by his side in a moment. "Lend me your chakra." Akamaru wuffed and pressed against him, the transfer was almost instantaneous and he felt himself change. The Kitsune Jutsu worked its magic on his body. His face contorted into a muzzle, his legs became wolf-like, his ears stretched and reformed, a smattering of chestnut fur covered his body. A tail ripped through his trousers. In a matter of seconds he looked part wolf, part man.

He launched himself at the pair of ninja, feeling their chakra slipping – they were obviously attempting a Jutsu too powerful for them. One broke off, forming quick seals. A blast of water from the slowly spinning globe hit him in the ribs, throwing him to the right, but he simply shook it off and leapt at them again.

This time the water was solid, almost knife like – he dodged most, but took two in the thigh, before he reached the man.

He swept the ninja to the side. As the ninja fell, more seals were formed and hands grasped ice-kama. In the split second between being struck and falling, the kami were created and swung at Kiba's head.

He caught one on his forearm, feeling bone crunch as he did, the blunt point nearly splitting skin and muscle as he blocked its impact. Growling, he jumped to the side, flexing the broken arm, testing his claws. Not enough damage to put him out of action.

He eyed the kami warily, ears twitching in thought. The second ninja had completed the jutsu – they now had a substantial amount of water to work with. He had to end this quickly.

Tail lashing, he crouched and launched at the kami-wielding ninja. He ducked the weapons this time, crooked his fingers, splaying razor-sharp claws, and slashed. The man was struck; he dropped a kami, his left arm now hanging uselessly.

The second ninja formed seal after seal and Kiba had to dodge ice shuriken. Dull thuds could be heard as they struck trees in his stead. Using the mist to his own advantage, he used the split-second confusion over whether he had been struck or not, to disappear into the trees.

He stalked around, all sense trained on the two ninja, enjoying the thrill of the hunt. He knew he had to end this soon, for his own sake as well as the missions. If he stayed in this form too long, he could become too accustomed to it. As fun as it sounded to spend his life in half-wolf form, better able to understand Akamaru and the others in the pack, he had a vague sense that someone important wouldn't approve.

He shook his head. Too much thinking, not enough action.

Before either of the ninja knew what was happening, he was upon them. A single swipe of his claws sliced through the air, the first ninja and the ground behind him, opening deep welts in the ground. The ninja fell dead, blood, gore, the scent of death. Oh, this was fun!

The second ninja tried to stop him, forming seals that made the water snake towards him, almost like solid tentacles – some managed to wrap around his limbs – but to no avail. He was far too strong now.

Despite the snake-like water clinging to him, he lunged forward and caught the ninja. A kunai found its way into his ribs, another into his shoulder, but he didn't care. He tore out the mans throat with his teeth.

And just like that, it was over.

Panting, he stood over the bodies, as the water fell back to the earth and the mist dissipated. When he looked up, Akamaru was approaching him, ears flat, tail tucked between his legs, almost crawling on his elbows.

He had to change back. He pulled the kunai from his shoulder and ribs and allowed Akamaru to touch him. Immediately he became more aware of himself as a person, not a wolf and dropped to his haunches.

"…ow…shit…"

----

Izumo gave him a dire look when he finally returned to camp.

"Can we safely assume you stopped the witnesses from escaping?"

Kiba nodded and allowed the older man to fuss over him – he pulled his jacket off and received a withering glare for the welts and kunai wounds. The welts were left behind after the snake-like water had dropped from him; apparently it had been holding him tighter than he thought.

He winced as Izumo inspected the puncture to his ribs. "Nothing much we can do about these 'til we get back to Konoha, I'm afraid."

Kiba nodded his understanding and lifted his arms to allow Izumo to wrap bandages around his ribs and over his right shoulder.

Kotetsu simply nodded to him and handed him a bowl of (finally!) warm stew.

"We'll set off for home once you've slept."

Kiba was grateful. He really shouldn't have allowed the hunt to get to him like it had. He'd overdone it again. His Ma was going to kill him – not to mention how Sakura would react.

As he ate, he wondered how Shino would react. He smiled to himself as he pictured the slight quirk of an eyebrow he would no doubt receive.

Well. He would receive if the guy wasn't still avoiding him when he got home.

----

TBC


End file.
